There was an absolutely horrifying shooting early Monday morning when members of an Iranian post-punk band that immigrated to the States in 2010, Soroush Farazmand and Arash Farazmand of the Tehran-spawned Yellow Dogs, along with a friend, Ali Eskandarian, were hanging out at their rehearsal and living space in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Raefe Akhbar, who used to play in fellow Iranian act Free Keys but had been kicked out more than a year ago, showed up with a high-powered rifle, shot and killed the three and injured a fourth man before fleeing and then turning the gun on himself, according to police reports.

“Rafi shot and killed our guitar player and drummer, brothers Soroush and Arash Farazmand, and our roommate and dear friend, Ali Eskandarian, who was also a frequent guest vocalist for our band,” The Yellow Dogs and members of Free Keys wrote in a lengthy joint statement. “Three days later, we’re still here, still breathing but with a gaping hole in our hearts.”

“In the aftermath of these horrific events, we are left with pain, emptiness and so many questions that won’t ever be answered. We wanted the world to discover us as we were: A community of musicians defined by our music, our friendships, our culture and our art. This is not the way we ever imagined the world would learn of our story.”

A motive hasn’t been determined, but those close to the band have said that Akhbar was still disgruntled about being fired from the band, and some say there were also accusations he had stolen money from Free Keys. Akhbar allegedly tried to get back into the group recently, but was rebuffed.

The Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, where the band was living, has been a fertile breeding ground for artists of all sorts in recent years. It’s become classified as a hipster paradise from detractors, but also one that had an undeniably vibrant music scene.

To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@hotmail.com. Also, check out his blog at www.delcotimes.com